Modern Horizons 2 Set Review - Blue

Modern Horizons 2 Set Review – White

Commander Showdown - Beckett Brass vs Malcolm &#038; Breeches

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reconstruct History" href="#" target="_blank">Reconstruct History</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/campbellwhite">Campbell White</a>)</h6>
<h1>Let's Get to Digging</h1>
<p>Welcome to the debut of <em>Reconstruct History</em>, a series where we aim to look at popularity trends in cards over time, specific to the Commander format. Whether you're interested in what's hot, what's not, or what's fallen by the wayside, thinking about the effects of power creep or even content creation may have on card popularity, I hope this series will have something for you!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reconstruct History"></div></div>
<p>Before we kick off the series with the data, I thought it might be a good idea to get a basic framework out of the way in this first article. That way, if people want to see what this series aims to do and dig a little deeper (yes, archaeology pun intended, brace yourself for many more), they can do so here, but that way we also don't have to add additional paragraphs every time. Plus, I think there's some value in looking at some of the history behind this framework, and how this series' namesake fits in with the larger arch of history, archaeology, and popularity in <em>Magic</em> and beyond!</p>
<p>And if you haven't already, please check out the EDHRECasts episodes <a href="https://youtu.be/fiokUqf2N_E">124 ('Commanders that People Stopped Building')</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/VeX1y4lDCfY">132 ('Late Bloomer Commanders')</a>! These are great, informative episodes that look at popularity trends in commanders, and they inspired much of this series.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Lorehold Lessons</h2>
<p>Perhaps it's no coincidence that white (and red) see a return to archaeology in Strixhaven's Lorehold college, the very school of historical and archaeological inquiry. Even as early as 1994 in the flavorfully named set, <em>Antiquities</em>, white showed the possibility of linking artifacts with recursion through archaeology, seen in none other than the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argivian Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Argivian Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (and yes, it does shock me that it costs more than the average radiocarbon date sample, but let's leave a history/analysis of the Reserved List to someone else...)</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argivian Archaeologist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argivian Find"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Daring Archaeologist"></div></div>
<p>While we've seen some archaeo-adjacent cards throughout the decades that interact with artifacts, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argivian Find" href="#" target="_blank">Argivian Find</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Weatherlight</em>, 1997), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Darksteel</em>, 2004), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Daring Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Daring Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Dominaria</em>, 2018), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Ardenn, Intrepid Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Commander</em> <em>Legends</em>, 2020), they're but sporadic fragments of the larger <em>Magic</em> mosaic of cards out there.</p>
<p>Blue, too, seems to show some minor references in cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Argivian Restoration" href="#" target="_blank">Argivian Restoration</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Weatherlight</em>, 1997), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Excavation" href="#" target="_blank">Excavation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Prophecy</em>, 2000), <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sacred Excavation" href="#" target="_blank">Sacred Excavation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Amonkhet</em>, 2017), and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mystic Archaeologist" href="#" target="_blank">Mystic Archaeologist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> (<em>Core Set 2019</em>; 2018). Blue has undoubtedly always had a strong affiliation with artifacts, and red's affinity for scrapping (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scrap Mastery" href="#" target="_blank">Scrap Mastery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), repurposing (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Trash for Treasure" href="#" target="_blank">Trash for Treasure</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>), and metal-working (<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>) has also positioned it as a strong artifact color.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Argivian Restoration"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ancient Excavation"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scrap Mastery"></div></div>
<p>Which brings us to 2021, where the release of <em>Strixhaven: School of Mages </em>brought about a fundamental change in how red and white (Boros, but really Lorehold!) can work together while still keeping to the flavor, mechanics, and color identity they've had for decades. To me, Lorehold's 'archaeology' flavor with the graveyard and artifacts feels right at home — it just took a long while to become fully flushed out.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Dig Through Time</h2>
<p>With that historical tidbit out of the way, let's <em>dig</em> into what this series is all about: popularity in <em>Magic</em> cards over time. In true Lorehold fashion, we're employing an historical-archaeological approach. Historical archaeology, much like other forms of archaeology, is poised to examine trends over time, but it has the benefit of synthesizing archaeological materials with historical and archival sources to compare and contrast how such datasets might shed light on one another.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Headstone"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wall of Tombstones"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Woodland Cemetery"></div></div>
<p>One of the greatest examples of historical archaeology's potential for analyzing popularity trends can be seen in James Deetz's canonical classic <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Small_Things_Forgotten">In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life</a>, </em>first published in 1977. Analyzing changes in <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Headstone" href="#" target="_blank">Headstone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> iconography over 18th-19th century New England cemeteries, Deetz was able to graphically depict how changes in religious ideas about death and cemeteries coincided directly with the popularity in headstone motifs (Deetz 1996: 97):</p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Deetz_Battleship-Curves.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-65924 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Deetz_Battleship-Curves.png" alt="" width="697" height="663" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Deetz_Battleship-Curves.png 697w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Deetz_Battleship-Curves-300x285.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 697px) 100vw, 697px" /></a>Unlike your traditional temporal graph, which often puts 'time' on the X-axis, these 'battleship graphs' (so named for the shapes they often produce) tend to invert 'time' to the Y-axis, and use the width of each bar to represent popularity. The graph shows that over time (moving from bottom to top), the 'death's head' (skull with wings, left-most column) was beginning to diminish in the latter half of the 18th century, just as the 'cherub' (baby-face with wings, middle column) increased in popularity. The cherub replaced the death's head, but its own popularity was short-lived, lasting only some 50 years. It was eventually replaced by the 'urn and willow' design (right-most column), which replaced the winged heads altogether, and continued to be the preferred style into the 19th century.</p>
<p>By synthesizing these data with historical, archival, and other material sources, Deetz was ultimately able to effectively demonstrate how religious changes surrounding death in colonial New England actually leaves material traces and evidences for us as observers some centuries later. Walking through an 18th century <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Woodland Cemetery" href="#" target="_blank">Woodland Cemetery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, you might not notice popularity trends off the bat by looking at the <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Wall of Tombstones" href="#" target="_blank">Wall of Tombstones</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in front of you. But if you carefully organize them chronologically, and in relation to one another, patterns begin to emerge.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Illuminate History"></div></div>
<p>Which brings us to this series: similar prospects may well hold for <em>Magic</em> cards, particularly in a booming format like Commander. A look at any card on EDHREC may give you an inclination of the card's popularity, and heck, maybe even power. But what about that card tomorrow? Next week? Six months from now? A year? Or what if we flip it and ask: how popular was it six months ago? A year ago? Furthermore, how might it fare when compared to the introduction of other cards? How might its popularity be explained <em>in relation</em> to other cards? Looking at a card's popularity over time can shed light on it in relation to broader broader aspects of the format, like power creep, popularity, and even content creation.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Grapple With the Past</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Grapple with the Past"></div></div>
<p>Looking at that Figure 4 above, you might be asking yourself "Okay, that's all neat and all, but what about headstones <em>before</em> 1720? What about <em>after</em> 1830? What happened in 1780-89 to make a gap in the 'Urn and Willow' bar missing altogether? Did it truly just fall out of favor for a decade, or is the data missing for some other reason?"</p>
<p>Seldom does the archaeologist or historian have full access to a complete temporal dataset, as historical datasets are often patchy at best. Maybe the cemetery was abandoned after 1830. Maybe they ran out of space. Maybe the archives burned down, <a href="https://www.census.gov/history/www/faqs/genealogy_faqs/why_cant_i_find_1890_census_records.html">such as the 1921 building fire</a>, which happened to burn all but a small portion of the 1890 U.S. Federal Census Records. Such mundane things often <em>Cascade</em>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Apex Devastator" href="#" target="_blank">Apex Devastator</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>-style, into gaps in knowledge, but that doesn't negate their utility nor interpretive power!</p>
<p>Which brings us to another aspect of <em>Reconstruct History:</em> we'll only be looking at 'snippets' or 'snapshots' in data trends. For the most part, we'll be:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong><em>Criteria #1:</em> Employing a two-year window of analysis</strong></li>
<li><strong><em>Criteria #2</em>: Aggregating and presenting data in monthly intervals</strong></li>
<li><strong><em>Criteria #3:</em> Focusing on popular cards</strong> (e.g., cards that have at least once have broke the top 400 threshold of their respective color, type, etc.) and</li>
<li><strong><em>Criteria #4:</em> Using a card's color-specific rank rather than the raw number of decklists it's included in</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Regarding<strong> Criteria #1</strong>, two years should give us a good enough window to peek at trends, while also acknowledging that EDHREC purges data from lists that haven't been updated or maintained in the last two years. Additionally, given the increased volume of product released in recent years, keeping most of our scope to the last two years should keep us 'up-to-date' on what the recent trends are. In some cases, we may be able to get data further back, but we'll do it on a case-by-case basis. <strong>Criteria #2</strong> is somewhat related. While we lose some granularity by aggregating by month (rather than, say, by week), it should help us smooth some temporal trends while still giving us the resolution we need.</p>
<p>For <strong>Criteria #3</strong>, looking at increases or decreases for cards that see little play to begin with might not shed as much light on the larger format as we'd hope . <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Quagmire" href="#" target="_blank">Quagmire</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> may well see a 100% increase in popularity one day, but considering that it <a href="https://edhrec.com/cards/quagmire">still only sees play in 1 deck</a>, that's just a level of granularity we aren't going to look at. Rather, we'll try and look at what is the <em>card du jour </em>that people are scrounging for and if/when that may change.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="https://i.imgur.com/039T48N.gif?noredirect" alt="When the Soup Du Jour is the soup of the day - Album on Imgur" /></p>
<p>As for <strong>Criteria #4</strong>, it turns out that some issues can arise when we just look at the number of decks a card is included in (decklists), rather than a card's rank score (i.e., its popularity compared to other cards of the same color(s)).</p>
<p>Take the card <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Insurrection" href="#" target="_blank">Insurrection</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, which we'll be looking at in the next installment. It saw inclusion in 178 decks in the month of April 2019, compared to the more than 10,000 lists scraped that month, or &lt; 2%. This problem exacerbates over time, as the recent deluge of products, new cards, precons, deck-building platforms, content creators, and general increase in player base means that the influx of decklists are booming. Tracking 0.001% fluctuations in popularity can just get a bit too zoomed-in at times. As such, we'll likely default to rank, but consult trends in decklist numbers as needed!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>This wraps up a bit of our framework, but stay tuned for the next installment where we'll actually be looking at the data!</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter" src="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/94/e6/07/94e607b862ab90f0bbf521213bf1975f.gif" alt="Pin by Ana Sandoval Poveda on Sean Connery | Sean connery, Movies, Geeky" /></p>
<p>And finally, I just want to give a huge preemptive shoutout to Nick Burgess here at EDHREC (<a href="https://twitter.com/MisterPlorg">@MisterPlorg</a> on Twitter), who will be helping with the nuts and bolts of pulling and scraping large amounts of data from our EDHREC archives.</p>
<p>And let me know: Are there any cards <strong>you'd</strong> be interested in seeing? Do you find Lorehold's mechanics and flavor in respect to its color identity out of left field, or something a long time coming? What headstone motif is your favorite? Sound off in the comments below!</p>


Reconstruct History - An Introduction!

<h1><em>Rhys</em>-tic Studies</h1>

<p>Welcome to <em>Challenge the Stats</em>! This series is based on the awesome <a href="https://edhrecast.libsyn.com/">EDHRECast</a> segment that challenges overplayed and underplayed cards in EDHREC's data. Any data has biases, aberrations, and outliers, and it's our job to arm you with that knowledge. In this spinoff series, we'll pick out ten cards on a commander's page to challenge. But remember, these are merely suggestions, and card choices made by <em>you,</em> the deckbrewer, for any reason such as flavor, budget, art, or fun are always most important and are what keep our format unique and awesome.</p>
<p>This week, I'm doing a challenge that I'm currently jazzed about, and that's Selesya Token decks, and, of course, I had to consult with our resident Selesnya expert, <a href="https://commandersherald.com/author/matt-morgan/">Matt Morgan</a> of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCApiDwDpn_JpzRGLZKrdr1g">EDHRECast</a>. Our challenge is tailored to go-wide token commanders, and since there are so many great options, it seemed weird to challenge just one, so we're going to do something we've never done before on <em>Challenge the Stats: </em>we're going to challenge an entire theme page!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Rhys, the redeemed"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Trostani Discordant"></div></div>
<p>There are nearly 2,000 <a href="https://edhrec.com/themes/tokens/gw">Selesnya Token</a> decks at the time of writing, and you can see how often the cards below are currently played in parentheses (%). All of these challenges are Matt-Morgan-approved, and you can see what he had to say about them in quotations and my less-quotable comments in plain text. Here we go!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Challenges</h2>
<h3>Overplayed</h3>
<h4>1. Selesnya Signet (50%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selesnya Signet"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"It's easier to hate out artifacts, and getting lands on the battlefield is the safest way to ramp." – Mr. Matt Morgan</p></blockquote>
<p>When we have access to green ramp, I just don't see a reason to have this over <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Three Visits" href="#" target="_blank">Three Visits</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Rampant Growth" href="#" target="_blank">Rampant Growth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Nature&#039;s Lore" href="#" target="_blank">Nature&#039;s Lore</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Search for Tomorrow" href="#" target="_blank">Search for Tomorrow</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, heck, even <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sakura Tribe-Elder" href="#" target="_blank">Steve</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>; take your pick!</p>
<h4>2. Esika's Chariot (32%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Esika&#039;s Chariot"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"The attack trigger makes it much better, but it's about the <em>quality</em> of tokens and not the <em>quantity</em> of tokens. Copying a 4/4 Beast token is much better than a 2/2 Cat. "</p></blockquote>
<p>Okay, this card is great. It's taking up this challenge slot as a signpost card. There are two types of Token decks that we're seeing, either big or small, and our strategy shifts depending on which we're using. Anytime we see <em>Populate</em> or the similar text on <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Esika&#039;s Chariot" href="#" target="_blank">Esika&#039;s Chariot</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghired, Conclave Exile" href="#" target="_blank">Ghired, Conclave Exile</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, we can take that as a signpost that the card will shine a bit more in a "big token" deck. Any of these signpost cards are great candidates to refine our search with Advanced Filters on a specific Token commander's page.</p>
<hr />
<h3>Underplayed</h3>
<h4>3. Selesnya Charm (29%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Selesnya Charm"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"It's not getting best rate, but you're getting flexibility, whether it's an exile effect, a blocker, or pushing damage through. There's always a relevant mode on this one. Charms in general are underplayed."</p></blockquote>
<h4>4. Pest Infestation (21%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Pest Infestation"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"Sets might be fighting each other for our attention, but compare it to the staple <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reclamation Sage" href="#" target="_blank">Rec Sage</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. They're the same rate, but when we have token payoffs, we're going to take advantage of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pest Infestation" href="#" target="_blank">Pest Infestation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> much more."</p></blockquote>
<p>I know this is a new one, but I still think some folks are sleeping on it. There are two words in this card that take it from good to great, and I missed them both the first few times I read it!</p>
<p>The first is "up to", and that means we don't need legal targets for the artifact and enchantment removal, and we can simply pump as much mana into making Pests as we want to.</p>
<p>The second is "twice". Yep, I missed that it said "create <em>twice</em> X tokens," but, to be fair, the cards from <em>Strixhaven</em> were absolute homework to read. "Twice" makes Pest Infestation a phenomenal rate for token generation. Five mana for four tokens, eleven mana for ten tokens, fifteen mana for fourteen tokens, etc.</p>
<h4>5. Harvest Season (22%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Harvest Season"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"If you're getting three lands, that's a great rate. It's a little board-dependent, but it has a high floor and a VERY high ceiling."</p></blockquote>
<p>One land onto the battlefield for three mana is just fine. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Farhaven Elf" href="#" target="_blank">Farhaven Elf</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a solid card. Two lands onto the battlefield is already better than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivate" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Explosive Vegetation" href="#" target="_blank">Explosive Vegetation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. That's a reasonable floor, and anything more than that is border magical Christmasland territory.</p>
<h4>6. Ohran Frostfang (16%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ohran Frostfang"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"Giving your opponents a choice isn't bad if neither choice is good for them."</p></blockquote>
<p>The Frostfang is one of the best underrated green draw spells out there, and it makes combat a nightmare for our opponents. The low inclusion rate is probably due to the restrictive price tag. Hopefully we see a meaningful reprint soon.</p>
<h4>7. Throne of the God-Pharaoh (12%)</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Throne of the God-Pharaoh"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"It's effectively double strike for unblocked creatures. If four attacking creatures get through, that's 12 additional damage from a two-mana card. It gets even crazier when we use tap shenanigans like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glare of Subdual" href="#" target="_blank">Glare of Subdual</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cryptolith Rite" href="#" target="_blank">Cryptolith Rite</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>."</p></blockquote>
<hr />
<h3>Sleepers</h3>
<h4>8. Scale Up</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Scale Up"></div></div>
<blockquote><p>"11/10 in a go-wide deck. What are you doing with your army of tokens? We need cards that answer that question."</p></blockquote>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scale Up" href="#" target="_blank">Scale Up</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> came out in <em>Modern Horizons</em> and went largely unnoticed, only making it into about 1,500 total decks on the site. However, it's an effective finisher in decks that have a lot of small tokens. When the typical finisher options cost as much as they do these days, having an effective budget option is wonderful. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Craterhoof Behemoth" href="#" target="_blank">Craterhoof Behemoth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is $50. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Triumph of the Hordes" href="#" target="_blank">Triumph of the Hordes</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is $20. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Finale of Devastation" href="#" target="_blank">Finale of Devastation</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is nearly $40. If we don't have these already and are out of our price range, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="ScaleUp" href="#" target="_blank">ScaleUp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> will get the job done!</p>
<blockquote><p>"Also, it's a signpost card for go-wide, not go-big. Turning 1/1s into 6/4s is amazing, but turning 4/4s into 6/4s, not so much."</p></blockquote>
<h4>9. Saproling Symbiosis</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saproling Symbiosis"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Doubling Season" href="#" target="_blank">Doubling Season</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parallel Lives" href="#" target="_blank">Parallel Lives</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Primal Vigor" href="#" target="_blank">Primal Vigor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> effects are insanely powerful, but let's consider the play pattern of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Harvest" href="#" target="_blank">Second Harvest</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saproling Symbiosis" href="#" target="_blank">Saproling Symbiosis</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, not just as budget alternatives, but strategic ones as well.</p>
<p>When a powerhouse like Doubling Season or the like hits the battlefield, our opponents go into red alert. All eyes are on us even if we haven't created any tokens yet. They demand targeted removal or, lacking that, our opponents might opt to use player removal instead.</p>
<blockquote><p>"There's an unseen price beyond the mana. You're putting a clock on yourself."</p></blockquote>
<p>However, when we have a modest board of tokens and our opponents are confident we can't kill them, doubling our tokens at instant speed changes that math. It allows us to first establish our board without raising alarm bells and then, when our opponents think they're fine, suddenly our board doubles in size and we can swing in for the win.</p>
<p>The "instant speed" here is key because those tokens will have pseudo-haste.</p>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Elven Ambush" href="#" target="_blank">Elven Ambush</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a fantastic new instant-speed option for Elf decks. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Parallel Evolution" href="#" target="_blank">Parallel Evolution</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is another option at sorcery speed that's a symmetrical effect (pairs nicely with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Crashing Drawbridge" href="#" target="_blank">Crashing Drawbridge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>).</p>
<p>Matt also cautions:</p>
<blockquote><p>"Watch out to not overload yourself when things are going right. You need cards that will get you out of bad situations. There's a line you want to find in your deck, and it's more art than science."</p></blockquote>
<h4>10. Wolverine Riders</h4>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Wolverine Riders"></div></div>
<p>I think this is getting slept on in general Token decks because it references Elves on its face. This card is phenomenal outside of Elf-Tribal Strategies as well. It's just a smidge less efficient than <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Tendershoot Dryad" href="#" target="_blank">Tendershoot Dryad</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but Tendershoot is so good that even a slightly "worse" version is still a fantastic card. Tendershoot is also ten bucks, and Wolverine Riders is just over a dollar, so it's a great budget option. That price has steadily been creeping up, by the way, so snag one before this precon-only printing becomes scarce.</p>
<p>Let's go to a decklist!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Matt's <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist" href="#" target="_blank">Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span></h2>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Mirri, Weatherlight Duelist
[/Commander]
[Creatures]
*1 Acidic Slime
*1 Beast Whisperer
*1 Birds of Paradise
*1 Craterhoof Behemoth
*1 Devoted Druid
*1 Dragonlord Dromoka
*1 Duskwatch Recruiter
*1 Elvish Visionary
*1 Emmara, Soul of the Accord
*1 Eternal Witness
*1 Knight of Autumn
*1 Mother of Runes
*1 Ohran Frostfang
*1 Palace Jailer
*1 Pathbreaker Ibex
*1 Reclamation Sage
*1 Regal Caracal
*1 Rhonas the Indomitable
*1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
*1 Scavenging Ooze
*1 Scute Swarm
*1 Selfless Spirit
*1 Skyclave Apparition
*1 Sylvan Ranger
*1 Tireless Tracker
*1 Trostani Discordant
*1 Vigor
*1 Vizier of Remedies
*1 Walking Ballista
*1 Whisperwood Elemental
*1 Wood Elves
*1 Yasharn, Implacable Earth
[/Creatures]
[Enchantments]
*1 Aura Shards
*1 Cryptolith Rite
*1 Darksteel Mutation
*1 Felidar Retreat
*1 Growing Rites of Itlimoc
*1 Guardian Project
*1 Primal Order
*1 Smothering Tithe
*1 Sylvan Library
[/Enchantments]
[Artifacts]
*1 Arcane Signet
*1 Panharmonicon
*1 Sol Ring
*1 The Great Henge
*1 Throne of the God-Pharaoh
[/Artifacts]
[Instants]
*1 Akroma&#039;s Will
*1 Arachnogenesis
*1 Eladamri&#039;s Call
*1 Flawless Maneuver
*1 Heroic Intervention
*1 Path to Exile
*1 Return of the Wildspeaker
*1 Swords to Plowshares
*1 Teferi&#039;s Protection
*1 Worldly Tutor
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Bala Ged Recovery
*1 Dismantling Wave
*1 Harmonize
*1 Harvest Season
*1 Nature&#039;s Lore
*1 Pir&#039;s Whim
*1 Rampant Growth
*1 Regrowth
*1 Three Visits
[/Sorceries]
[Lands]
*1 Brushland
*1 Command Tower
*15 Forest
*1 Gavony Township
*1 Horizon Canopy
*8 Plains
*1 Savannah
*1 Scattered Groves
*1 Secluded Steppe
*1 Strip Mine
*1 Temple Garden
*1 Tranquil Thicket
*1 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<p>Also, here's a link to my Mirri <a href="https://archidekt.com/decks/1458585#Selesnya_Tokens_EDHREC">"Surprise Tokens" deck</a>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>I Seles-need-ya to See This</h2>
<p>Big thanks to Matt for being my expert consultant on this article! But now, we want to hear from you: are there any other cards you would challenge? Let me know in the comments below! As always, you can find me on twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/jevin_mtg">@jevin_mtg</a>, and you can find Matt at <a href="https://twitter.com/mathimus55">@mathimus55</a>.</p>
<p><strong>Exciting <em>Challenge the Stats</em> announcement!</strong></p>
<p>I'm launching a Discord for you guys to get notified about what commander is going to be challenged next, and you can submit challenges that might make it into the article!</p>
<p><a href="https://discord.gg/GwQWjSZjvg">Join the <em>Challenge the Stats</em> discord here. </a></p>
<p>Vote on next week's Challenge the Stats below!</p>
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Challenge the Stats – The Selesnya Special with Mr. Matt Morgan

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/victoradameart">Victor Adame Minguez</a>)</h6>
<h1>Epic Preparation</h1>
<p>Hello, EDHREC fans! I’m Bernardo Melibeu, and this is <em>Epic Experiment</em>, a series where we throw all common sense aside and experiment with some unusual strategies, changing how we normally build our deck. Is it going to work? Who knows?! We’re making science here. When you’re an Izzet mage, blowing things up is half the fun.</p>
<p>In this article we'll take a look into an aggressive mono-red commander, one that, because of its powerful kit, hasn't been fully explored yet. I'm talking about <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame" href="#" target="_blank">Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Valduk, Keeper of the Flame"></div></div>
<p><strong>At the beginning of combat on your turn, for each Aura and Equipment attached to Valduk, Keeper of the Flame, create a 3/1 red Elemental creature token with trample and haste. Exile those tokens at the beginning of the next end step.</strong></p>
<p>Observation 1:</p>
<p>Valduk's kit feels a lot like a modern <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kemba, Kha Regent" href="#" target="_blank">Kemba, Kha Regent</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, except it's in a better color, it's more aggressive, and it's more versatile.</p>
<p>Observation 2:</p>
<p>While it's pretty easy to just put Equipment onto Valduk and aggro people out of the game, I think that the consistent flow of enter- and leave-the battlefield triggers, not to mention the number of bodies on the battlefield, can be exploited to our advantage in a less obvious way.</p>
<p>Observation 3:</p>
<p>It's a shame that red lacks a proper Aura support. Valduk's ability also counts Auras, which is a nice added bonus, but it's hard to compete with the support that Equipment gets from red cards. Auras can potentially be more explosive, though, since they almost always will cost less mana to get onto Valduk than an Equipment.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Old Formula</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-66078" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-1024x517.png" alt="" width="1024" height="517" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-1024x517.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Sig.png 1219w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-66079" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-1024x516.png" alt="" width="1024" height="516" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-1024x516.png 1024w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-300x151.png 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top-768x387.png 768w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Valduk-Top.png 1226w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></p>
<p>Most Valduk lists are heavily invested in enabling both the combat and non-combat aspects of creating a huge token army. It's important to note that this is only one half of Valduk; it only explains the 'why' and not the 'how'.</p>
<p>Additionally, most lists are more heavily biased towards Equipment, which isn't a surprise, since red offers a ton in the way of artifact support.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Epic Ingredients</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Heart of Kiran"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Weatherlight"></div></div>
<p>Valduk's ability to put lots of bodies on the field is powerful in a color like red, where we have some great go-wide support. However, we could use the bodies to fuel a completely different archetype: Vehicles. Valduk's kit is great for the archetype because the tokens that we create all have 3 power, which is a very good value to <em>Crew </em>almost all the relevant Vehicles out there. This allows us to tune our Equipment suite to be mostly about protecting our commander, and, as a result, we get some added consistency because we're not as threatened by removal as we would normally be.</p>
<p>Vehicles are cheap threats that, very often, dodge board wipes by being noncreatures on everyone else's turns. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cultivator&#039;s Caravan" href="#" target="_blank">Cultivator&#039;s Caravan</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is one of the best Vehicles in the deck: it both ramps and provides a threat in a very cheap body. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smuggler&#039;s Copter" href="#" target="_blank">Smuggler&#039;s Copter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Weatherlight" href="#" target="_blank">Weatherlight</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> give us a much-needed way to dig for new cards. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mizzium Tank" href="#" target="_blank">Mizzium Tank</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful self-piloting Vehicle that grows even when we're developing a board state. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skysovereign, Consul Flagship" href="#" target="_blank">Skysovereign, Consul Flagship</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a powerful "titan-esque" threat that threatens to Bolt something every turn.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Darksteel Plate"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Hammer of Nazahn"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Champion&#039;s Helm"></div></div>
<p>Our Equipment suite is mainly there to protect our commander. Making sure our commander is always available to create tokens is crucial for our deck to run smoothly. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Hammer of Nazahn" href="#" target="_blank">Hammer of Nazahn</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is a great source of indestructibility that not only protects our commander but also makes future Equipment that much more effective. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Champion&#039;s Helm" href="#" target="_blank">Champion&#039;s Helm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Swiftfoot Boots" href="#" target="_blank">Swiftfoot Boots</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Mirror Shield" href="#" target="_blank">Mirror Shield</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> all help us dodge spot removal, while <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Plate" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Plate</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shield of Kaldra" href="#" target="_blank">Shield of Kaldra</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are both crucial pieces that let our commander avoid board wipes, just like our Vehicles do.</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Mixture</h2>
<p><div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Valduk Vehicles" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards=""></span></div></p>
<p>[Commander]</p>
<p>*Valduk, Keeper of the Flame</p>
<p>[/Commander]</p>
<p>[Artifact]</p>
<p>*Bone Saw</p>
<p>*Everflowing Chalice</p>
<p>*Cliffhaven Kitesail<br />
*Commander's Plate<br />
*Consulate Dreadnought<br />
*Sai of the Shinobi<br />
*Shuko<br />
*Skullclamp<br />
*Sol Ring<br />
*Arcane Signet<br />
*Fellwar Stone<br />
*Funeral Longboat<br />
*Heart of Kiran<br />
*Lightning Greaves<br />
*Mind Stone<br />
*Mirror Shield<br />
*Sky Skiff<br />
*Smuggler's Copter<br />
*Swiftfoot Boots<br />
*Aethersphere Harvester<br />
*Champion's Helm<br />
*Cultivator's Caravan<br />
*Daredevil Dragster<br />
*Darksteel Plate<br />
*Mizzium Tank<br />
*Raiders' Karve<br />
*Renegade Freighter<br />
*Sword of Fire and Ice<br />
*Sword of Truth and Justice<br />
*Sword of War and Peace<br />
*Whispersilk Cloak<br />
*Bomat Bazaar Barge<br />
*Fleetwheel Cruiser<br />
*Hammer of Nazahn<br />
*Hedron Archive<br />
*Ovalchase Dragster<br />
*Shield of Kaldra<br />
*Thundering Chariot<br />
*Untethered Express<br />
*Weatherlight<br />
*Aradara Express<br />
*Ballista Charger<br />
*Forsaken Monument<br />
*Skysovereign, Consul Flagship<br />
*Demolition Stomper</p>
<p>[/Artifact]</p>
<p>[Creature]</p>
<p>*Brass Squire<br />
*Foundry Inspector<br />
*Thopter Engineer<br />
*Godo, Bandit Warlord</p>
<p>[/Creature]</p>
<p>[Enchantment]</p>
<p>*Epiphany Storm<br />
*Prophetic Ravings<br />
*Invasion Plans<br />
*Bedlam<br />
*Berserkers' Onslaught</p>
<p>[/Enchantment]</p>
<p>[Instant]</p>
<p>*Abrade<br />
*Price of Progress<br />
*Thrill of Possibility<br />
*Chaos Warp<br />
*Valakut Awakening</p>
<p>[/Instant]</p>
<p>[Sorcery]</p>
<p>*Faithless Looting<br />
*Vandalblast<br />
*Shatterskull Smashing<br />
*Seize the Spoils<br />
*Chain Reaction<br />
*Blasphemous Act</p>
<p>[/Sorcery]</p>
<p>[Land]</p>
<p>*Buried Ruin<br />
*Inventors' Fair<br />
*Ghost Quarter<br />
*Tectonic Edge<br />
*30 Mountain</p>
<p>[/Land]</p>
<p>[/Deck]</p>
<hr />
<p>Aside from the protection suite, we need to run a few more Equipment to give a bit more consistency to our commander. We're running some cheap options that are only there as a way to get more bodies on the field faster. Some, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Sai of the Shinobi" href="#" target="_blank">Sai of the Shinobi</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Cliffhaven Kitesail" href="#" target="_blank">Cliffhaven Kitesail</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, are cheap Equipment that attach when they enter the battlefield, and there are others, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Bone Saw" href="#" target="_blank">Bone Saw</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Shuko" href="#" target="_blank">Shuko</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skullclamp" href="#" target="_blank">Skullclamp</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, that are just cheap Equipment with a cheap Equip cost. <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Epiphany Storm" href="#" target="_blank">Epiphany Storm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Prophetic Ravings" href="#" target="_blank">Prophetic Ravings</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are the only Auras in the deck, but they offer a very useful looting ability for our commander.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Methodology</h2>
<p>For our opening hand, we're looking for one or two Vehicles to get things going. We can worry about having Equipment later as our Vehicle army grows.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Smuggler&#039;s Copter"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Bomat Bazaar Barge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Consulate Dreadnought"></div></div>
<p>In the early game, we usually have two lines of play: aggressive, playing Vehicles first, or passive, playing mana rocks first. The first line is better when we have a tight curve for turns two, three, and four, which reduces the immediate need for extra mana from mana rocks. The passive line is where we're mostly trying to accelerate to one of our bigger Vehicles, or we're just fishing and betting on a more explosive turn. Sometimes it's efficient because we get to play our commander on curve and then an expensive Equipment plus its Equip cost.</p>
<p>By the mid game, we should have a few Vehicles out and should always be looking to hit someone with our creatures. At this point it starts to show the importance of finding one of our indestructible Equipment because losing our commander is a huge hit in our tempo. This is where we risk running out of steam, but if we can protect our commander, we can reach the point that just our tokens alone are a significant threat.</p>
<p>In the late game, random <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Vandalblast" href="#" target="_blank">Vandalblast</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>s aside, we can dish out some consistent damage. One area we're lacking is big haymakers - between Equipment and Vehicles, finding deck slots without compromising is a hard task - but lucky for us, with the right amount of support, our commander can help us grind through longer games, because we're now attacking on three different axes, so one of them is bound to burst through.</p>
<hr />
<h1>Epic Results</h1>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Purphoros, God of the Forge"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Ghirapur Aether Grid"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Goblin Welder"></div></div>
<p>The good thing about our commander is that there are plenty of ways to take advantage of his tokens. Investing in non-combat-related ones, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Purphoros, God of the Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Purphoros, God of the Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Warstorm Surge" href="#" target="_blank">Warstorm Surge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, is a good way to help us chip down our opponents, relieving some of the pressure on our Vehicles.</p>
<p>With almost half of our deck as artifacts, there's a lot in the payoff department that we can use. Some recursion, like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Goblin Welder" href="#" target="_blank">Goblin Welder</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, can go a long way to help us fight against removal, while cards like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ghirapur Aether Grid" href="#" target="_blank">Ghirapur Aether Grid</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Fireweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Fireweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> are more thematic ways to chip our opponents.</p>
<p>That’s it for this <em>Epic Experiment</em>! What do you think about this list? Do you have any questions about the deck? Which cards did you like? Which did you not? Was this <em>Epic Experiment</em> a success? Please let me know in the comments below!</p>


Epic Experiment - Valduk Vehicles

Ranking Every Equipment with EDHREC – Part 9: Everything is Shocks

Too-Specific Top 10 - Double the Mana

Ultra Budget Brews - Nethroi, Apex of Death

<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breya, Etherium Shaper" href="#" target="_blank">Breya, Etherium Shaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> | Art by <a href="https://www.artstation.com/clintcearley">Clint Clearley</a>)</h6>
<h1>Fallacious Filigree</h1>
<p>Sit in on a speech conducted by the Ethersworn, and you'll surely be enticed by all of the wonders of Etherium: a magical connection to the Aether, and most importantly, the raw power of <em>aesthetic. </em>But you'll never hear them talk about the downsides - and many artificers wish they had known about the downsides before meeting <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breya, Etherium Shaper" href="#" target="_blank">Breya, Etherium Shaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Breya, Etherium Shaper"></div></div>
<p>Do you ever think about how much time you spend sitting? You'll quickly realize when your metal rear makes every seat unbearably uncomfortable. Plus, so much stuff gets caught in it! If you have a single tangle in your hair, it'll find its way into your Etherium prosthetics somewhere. Planeswalkers such as Tezzeret run the risk of planeswalking right into a <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Null Rod" href="#" target="_blank">Null Rod</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, during which the enchantments in your etherium body cease to work and your body slowly shuts down.</p>
<p>Additionally, what even are these "benefits"? Connections to the Aether? Kaladesh has managed just fine without etherium, all they need is an <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Aetherflux Reservoir" href="#" target="_blank">Aetherflux Reservoir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> - which is, notably, not attached to your body. Yes, the filigree of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Master Transmuter" href="#" target="_blank">Master Transmuter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> is sublime, but what if you want a portrait from a different angle? I don't know if I even want to know what the back of Breya's head looks like.</p>
<p>This is why we would like to extend to you a formal invitation to Artificers Against Etherium, an exclusive union in which we can practice our magical craft without grafting them into our bodies. Our membership boasts some of the multiverse's most legendary artificers, which you'll be pleased to know <em>don't</em> participate in any unethical forced magical experiments or eugenics.</p>
<p>If you're looking for a break from Breya, here are some other artifact commanders, old and new, who can offer fun nuance to that metallic strategy!</p>
<hr />
<h2>Etherium Manufacturer</h2>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Marionette Master"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Urza, Lord High Artificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Reckless Fireweaver"></div></div>
<p>Artifact-based archetypes are infamous in Commander. They're at the top of the list of EDHREC's established archetypes, and at the top of that, you can find <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Breya, Etherium Shaper" href="#" target="_blank">Breya, Etherium Shaper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, beating out <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Urza, Lord High Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Urza, Lord High Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> thanks to a combination of age, diversity, and flexibility.</p>
<p>Breya's suite of abilities allows you to go all-in on a sort of Artifacts/Aristocrats hybrid, synergizing beautifully with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Marionette Master" href="#" target="_blank">Marionette Master</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Reckless Fireweaver" href="#" target="_blank">Reckless Fireweaver</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and other artifact-based imitations of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blood Artist" href="#" target="_blank">Blood Artist</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. Sacrificing, of course, isn't the only important part - once her ability resolves, it can be a potent control piece as well.</p>
<p>However, Breya is not without her faults: firstly, she's four colors, which can spell trouble for players building on a budget (or players who simply don't like having a ton of colors in their decks). From a mechanical perspective, she's also pretty all-in on building around her, which contributes to the general stigma around artifacts strategies being too linear, and it also turns away players looking to play with the more unique artifact synergies. With over 2,000 different artifacts, a new commander, and a little bit of innovation, we can avoid all of these problems, and make a fun and unique Artifacts build!</p>
<hr />
<h2>The Agents of Artifice 2.0</h2>
<p>One route with Breya is what is known as the "Eggs" route, similar to decks such as Modern Eggs, in which you sacrifice a bunch of artifacts and immediately bring them all back with something like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Sunrise" href="#" target="_blank">Second Sunrise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This strategy was in fact effective enough that it warranted the ban of <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Second Sunrise" href="#" target="_blank">Second Sunrise</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in Modern. FOr our purposes in Commander, it's important to note that such an archetype requires two parts: the sacrificing, and the recursion, and since so many artifacts have sacrificing built-in, it might be a good idea to take a look at all of the commanders which can recur artifacts!</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Emry, Lurker of the Loch"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Osgir, the Reconstructor"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Glissa, the Traitor"></div></div>
<p><span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Emry, Lurker of the Loch" href="#" target="_blank">Emry, Lurker of the Loch</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> manages to recur artifacts quite elegantly: for a low cost, you get a Merfolk that will dump some cards into your graveyard and allow you to cast any artifacts that might find their way in there. Her cost reduction ability can make her especially resilient, negating her own Commander tax should you have enough artifacts out. And that's a good thing, too, because she can assemble a plethora of fantastic artifacts-based engines, and you'll need to get her out quickly again to re-assemble them.</p>
<p>One commander that excels at providing value with artifacts is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Osgir, the Reconstructor" href="#" target="_blank">Osgir, the Reconstructor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, one of the most hyped-up Commanders in recent memory. As it turns out, in a singleton format, getting up to three copies of a single artifact for the price of one is really powerful, even managing to combo with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Pull from Eternity" href="#" target="_blank">Pull from Eternity</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Isochron Scepter" href="#" target="_blank">Isochron Scepter</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Ugin&#039;s Nexus" href="#" target="_blank">Ugin&#039;s Nexus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in a fantastic <a href="https://commanderspellbook.com/combo/9264/">Boros infinite turns combo</a>.</p>
<p>Another standout commander in this section is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Glissa, the Traitor" href="#" target="_blank">Glissa, the Traitor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, for two reasons. Namely, she is a Phyrexian, and thus is guilty of many of the same flaws as the folks of Esper in regards to wild experiments on biological flesh and machinery. However, she also holds the unique position of being one of the only green artifacts-based commanders, and likely is the best among those, so she's worth a mention. If you're looking for all the best Golgari graveyard goodies like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Skull Prophet" href="#" target="_blank">Skull Prophet</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to go into your Artifacts deck, she may be the choice for you.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saheeli, Sublime Artificer"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saheeli, the Gifted"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Saheeli&#039;s Directive"></div></div>
<p>Another archetype that Breya can be built around is a sort of artifact "go-wide" strategy: she needs as many artifacts as possible to fuel her ability, so it's not uncommon to find artifact-creating engines such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Smothering Tithe" href="#" target="_blank">Smothering Tithe</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> in her decks. However, for those who want to use the plethora of artifacts they create, rather than serve them up as sacrifice fodder, commanders such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saheeli, the Gifted" href="#" target="_blank">Saheeli, the Gifted</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> work much better.</p>
<p>As with most planeswalkers, it's best to build around Saheeli's first two abilities, as they're the most reliable ones, creating Thopters to fuel additional synergies, and making expensive spells cost much less. The first ability is perfect for strategies that benefit from having a high number of artifacts, which use cards such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saheeli&#039;s Directive" href="#" target="_blank">Saheeli&#039;s Directive</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> as payoffs. Also, since I would be remiss to neglect <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer" href="#" target="_blank">Brudiclad, Telchor Engineer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, both him and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Saheeli, Sublime Artificer" href="#" target="_blank">Saheeli, Sublime Artificer</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> can be utilized to create dozens of token copies of whatever you choose, much like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Osgir, the Reconstructor" href="#" target="_blank">Osgir, the Reconstructor</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>The simplest payoff to having a large number of artifacts is Saheeli's second +1 ability, which can easily be used to quickly get out all of your favorite expensive artifacts. The go-to for many players is <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Blightsteel Colossus" href="#" target="_blank">Blightsteel Colossus</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, but over 25 years of <em>Magic</em> cards opens up a ton of possibilities, including the uniquely combo-tastic <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Chromatic Orrery" href="#" target="_blank">Chromatic Orrery</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> to protect your Artifacts.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Platinum Emperion"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Muzzio, Visionary Architect"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Thousand-Year Elixir"></div></div>
<p>If it's expensive artifacts that entice you, then <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Muzzio, Visionary Architect" href="#" target="_blank">Muzzio, Visionary Architect</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> excels at getting them out like no other. In order to get the ball rolling, it's probably best to get an expensive artifact out using topdeck manipulation, such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Scroll Rack" href="#" target="_blank">Scroll Rack</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Brainstorm" href="#" target="_blank">Brainstorm</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, and from there, you can continue flipping cards off the top like artifact-based <em>Cascade</em>.</p>
<p>Because Muzzio's ability is an activated ability, you can also find interesting lines of play by activating it on your opponents' turns. This can give you an edge against board wipes and lethal damage effects by flipping <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Darksteel Forge" href="#" target="_blank">Darksteel Forge</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> or <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Platinum Emperion" href="#" target="_blank">Platinum Emperion</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> off the top of your library at the opportune time.</p>
<p>And, of course, to ensure that you can continue to accrue value off of Muzzio's ability, it could also be prudent to find some ways to untap him, thus activating him multiple times in a turn using cards such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Thousand-Year Elixir" href="#" target="_blank">Thousand-Year Elixir</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span> and <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Magewright&#039;s Stone" href="#" target="_blank">Magewright&#039;s Stone</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Onakke Secrets</h2>
<p><a href="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/028_1.jpg"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-65957 size-full" src="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/028_1.jpg" alt="" width="967" height="659" srcset="https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/028_1.jpg 967w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/028_1-300x204.jpg 300w, https://edhrecstatic.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/028_1-768x523.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 967px) 100vw, 967px" /></a></p>
<h6 style="text-align: right;">(<a href="https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=226513">Onakke Catacomb</a> | Art by <a href="https://linktr.ee/Nic_Klein">Nic Klein</a>)</h6>
<div class="edhrecp__cards"><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kuldotha Forgemaster"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient"></div><div class="edhrecp__card-container" name="Endless Atlas"></div></div>
<p>Of all the ways to mess around with artifacts in Commander, my personal favorite has always been <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient" href="#" target="_blank">Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>. This inconspicuous legend from a core set allows you, for the low price of one red mana, to double up on almost any activation of an artifact you control. This means you get twice as much value from your <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Endless Atlas" href="#" target="_blank">Endless Atlas</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>es, and suddenly it becomes much easier to assemble a win with <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Kuldotha Forgemaster" href="#" target="_blank">Kuldotha Forgemaster</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>.</p>
<p>My favorite part of Kurkesh's ability is just how open-ended it is. You could build a Kurkesh deck around nearly any artifact-based synergy besides Equipment. After testing him out with my own build, I've been toying with a Kurkesh Charge Counters build, which utilizes <em>Proliferate</em> effects such as <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Throne of Geth" href="#" target="_blank">Throne of Geth</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, or Charge Counter synergies like <span class="edhrecp__link"><a class="edhrecp__link-a" content="Coretapper" href="#" target="_blank">Coretapper</a><span class="edhrecp__link-image"></span></span>, to gain extra value.</p>
<p>How would you build Kurkesh? Here's my first prototype, which was constructed not long after my first foray into the format.</p>
<div class="edhrecp__deck mtgh"><span class="edhrecp__deck-s" name="Kurkesh, Onakke Visionary" site="edhrec" archidekt_link="" cards="[Commander]
*1 Kurkesh, Onakke Ancient
[/Commander]
[Artifacts]
*1 Aetherworks Marvel
*1 Basalt Monolith
*1 Blinkmoth Urn
*1 Brittle Effigy
*1 Chaos Wand
*1 Clock of Omens
*1 Coldsteel Heart
*1 Contagion Clasp
*1 Contagion Engine
*1 Darksteel Forge
*1 Darksteel Reactor
*1 Doubling Cube
*1 Empowered Autogenerator
*1 Endless Atlas
*1 Everflowing Chalice
*1 Gemstone Array
*1 Gilded Lotus
*1 Gonti&#039;s Aether Heart
*1 Lightning Greaves
*1 Liquimetal Coating
*1 Lux Cannon
*1 Manifold Key
*1 Mimic Vat
*1 Mind Stone
*1 Mirage Mirror
*1 Mirrorworks
*1 Mycosynth Lattice
*1 Mystic Forge
*1 Oracle&#039;s Vault
*1 Planar Bridge
*1 Pyramid of the Pantheon
*1 Sensei&#039;s Divining Top
*1 Sol Ring
*1 Star Compass
*1 Strionic Resonator
*1 Swiftfoot Boots
*1 Tamiyo&#039;s Journal
*1 Throne of Geth
*1 Unwinding Clock
*1 Vedalken Orrery
*1 Voltaic Key
*1 Wayfarer&#039;s Bauble
*1 Worn Powerstone
[/Artifacts]
[Creatures]
*1 Bosh, Iron Golem
*1 Cogwork Assembler
*1 Foundry Inspector
*1 Goblin Engineer
*1 Goblin Welder
*1 Hangarback Walker
*1 Jhoira&#039;s Familiar
*1 Kuldotha Forgemaster
*1 Pentavus
*1 Shimmer Myr
*1 Slobad, Goblin Tinkerer
*1 Voltaic Servant
[/Creatures]
[Planeswalkers]
*1 Daretti, Scrap Savant
*1 Ugin, the Ineffable
[/Planeswalkers]
[Instants]
*1 Chaos Warp
*1 Comet Storm
[/Instants]
[Sorceries]
*1 Blasphemous Act
[/Sorceries]
[Enchantments]
*1 Braid of Fire
[/Enchantments]
[Lands]
*1 Aether Hub
*1 Ancient Tomb
*1 Darksteel Citadel
*1 Great Furnace
*1 Inventors&#039; Fair
*1 Karn&#039;s Bastion
*32 Mountain
[/Lands]"></span></div>

<hr />
<p>What's your favorite Artifacts commander? What's the general plan: go-wide, recursion, charge counters, or something else entirely? Feel free to let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading!</p>


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